It's been nearly a year since we sat down with Andy Goldberg, the CEO of PCH media, to discuss how the company has successfully navigated more than 40 years of shifts in the media industry. A lot has changed since we spoke, which in a way, makes this conversation all the more relevant. We hope you enjoy, and we'll be back with a fresh episode next week.
Summary:
Longevity in any business is something to celebrate, but when a media company can successfully evolve through several decades of seismic shifts, it's also a huge lesson in the art of pivoting. Today's guest has navigated through 41 years of change and his company has come through stronger than ever.
We're sitting down with Andy Goldberg, CEO of PCH Media. Andy is leading PCH's multi-year transformation as the company continues to pivot from direct-to-consumer retail towards an identity and data-driven advertising business. This includes a concerted effort to attract and hire top media talent to align with the company's new focus. The company is aimed at creating incremental shareholder value based on PCH's unique value exchange and unparalleled ability to generate peer audience authentication, permission first-party data, and tremendous user engagement.
Andy has led the company through several successful evolutions via acquisitions in the online search, casual games, and mobile advertising markets. In addition to being CEO, he's also Chairman of the Board of Directors and a past member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the Direct Marketing Association.
Recognized for excellence in the industry, Andy has been honored with the Silver Apple Award from the Direct Marketing Club of New York. He earned a BS in Marketing from the Wharton School at UPenn.
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Publishers Clearing House on LinkedIn
Publishers Clearing House Website
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As a workwear and outdoor apparel company, it's imperative that you stay attentive to the needs of your customer, and remain nimble enough to adapt to the demands of an ever-shifting retail landscape. Well, the folks at Duluth Trading are doing exactly that.
Today we're sitting down with Stephanie Pugliese, the CEO of Duluth Trading, which trades under the symbol DLTH. She first joined Duluth trading in November of 2008, and In 2015, she became President and CEO until 2019 when she left to become president of the Americas for Under Armour.
Now, Stephanie is back as president and CEO of Duluth. She joins us to discuss the innovation, customer experience, and brand awareness that's made them a force in the American retail sector for more than 3 decades, and how she plans to double down on those things to keep Duluth profitable in the decades to come.
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As we take a brief hiatus from releasing new episodes this week, we thought it would be interesting to revisit this episode from December 2024 with Michael Saylor. Ahead of the Trump administration officially taking office, Michael explained why he thought the year ahead would be a seminal one in the history of Bitcoin. Was he correct? You be the judge.
Summary:
With a new, crypto-friendly administration incoming, 2025 may be the year we see Bitcoin integrate more fully into mainstream finance in America and globally. Though volatile, and with an uncertain future that will heavily depend on how macroeconomic conditions and regulatory policies play out across the year, there's reason to believe that Bitcoin could soon be more prominent than ever. Today's guest is here to tell us why.
Michael Saylor is the Executive Chairman and co-founder of business intelligence company MicroStrategy (Nasdaq: MSTR), and a leading advocate of Bitcoin. MicroStrategy considers itself to be the world's first Bitcoin Company, and under Michael's leadership have adopted a unique Bitcoin acquisition strategy with approximately $42 billion in Bitcoin held to date.
In this episode, Michael describes his journey from skeptic to Bitcoin maximalist, emphasizes the importance of understanding Bitcoin as a digital capital asset, and discusses its potential to disrupt traditional valuation methodologies in finance.
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Book: The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous
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In their 125 years in existence, Alico had grown to become one of America's leading citrus producers. In January 2025, owing to adverse weather events and crop disease, they made the difficult decision to wind down their citrus operations and adopt a new real estate-focused business model.
Today, we sit down with John Kiernan, president and CEO of Alico, which trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol ALCO. John has been overseeing Alico's recent efforts to transition out of the citrus industry towards a strategy that makes full use of their extensive holdings in Florida real estate, valued somewhere between 650-750 million dollars.
Going from growing oranges to building communities is no easy feat. John explains how Alico is leveraging their great team, and ample liquidity, to make it work.
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The Trump administration has made American reindustrialization a top priority, but to do that, the US is going to need access to an abundance of metals like copper, manganese and nickel. The challenge then is to find a way to source these materials that doesn't rely on Chinese supply chains, and won't lead to serious environmental harm.
Gerard Barron is the co-founder, CEO and chairman of The Metals Company, which trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol TMC. The Metals Company mission is to harvest and process metal-containing nodules from the sea floor, providing a clean and abundant source of raw materials for an array of critical industries, like steelmaking and EV production.
Gerard walks us through the evolution of TMC, their groundbreaking tech, and some recent regulatory breakthroughs that have brought them closer to achieving their goals than ever before.
Summary:
When your A/C breaks down in the middle of summer, you want someone at your house to fix it that same day. And one firm has been able to leverage that reliability into a national home services empire.
Ken Haines was appointed CEO of Wrench Group almost 10 years ago and he has since guided the company to become the second largest non-franchised home services company in the United States.
Ken joins us to discuss his philosophy on leadership, the benefits of Wrench Group's innovative partnership model, and the impact of emerging tech in the home-services industry.
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Investors often talk about the desire for companies to diversify. Well, you'd be hard pressed to find a firm who's done that better than the Superior Group of Companies (SGC), which operates in three distinct buckets: healthcare apparel, branded products and contact centres.
Our guest today is Michael Benstock, the Chairman and CEO of SGC. Michael takes us through the evolution of SGC since its founding more than a century ago, and its successful diversification efforts over the years. We also discuss SGC's adeptness at pivoting, as well as their commitment to service quality, advanced technology, and omnichannel commerce.
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At this point, most Americans will probably be familiar with the media company, Newsmax. Their political slant has garnered the company its fair share of criticism, but their growth in recent years has been undeniable.
Chris Ruddy is the CEO of Newsmax Media, which trades under the symbol NMAX. Chris began his career as a journalist at the New York Post and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review before founding Newsmax in 1998. Since then, it's grown into one of the nation's leading broadcasting and digital media companies.
Chris joins us today to talk about the public perception of NewsMax, the rationale behind their recent IPO and their plans to leverage their massive reach into future growth.
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Back in January, we had on Julie Masino, the President and CEO of Cracker Barrel, who walked us through her strategy for transforming the brand, and gave great insights into general trends in the restaurant industry. Since it's summer time, and patio season is in full swing, we thought now would be a good time to revisit this gem.
Summary:
What does it take to revitalize a legacy brand, while maintaining its identity? By balancing tradition and transformation, any company can breathe new life into its business and consistently evolve to meet the changing expectations of customers and employees alike.
Today's guest is Julie Masino. Julie is President and CEO of Cracker Barrel, a role she took on just over a year ago in November of 2023. Since then, she's led the company with a focus on innovation and growth drawing on her over 30 years of experience in the restaurant and retail industries. Previously, Julie served President of International at Taco Bell and before that, President of North America. She's also held senior leadership positions at Sprinkles Cupcakes, Mattel, Starbucks, and began her career at iconic brands like Godiva, Coach, J. Crew, and Macy's.
In this episode, Julie shares her vision for the brand and the five-pillar transformation strategy she is implementing aimed at enhancing market share, guest experience, and profitability.
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Dash Miller may not be a CEO, but like many of the people we feature on this show, he is a true leader, he has a vision, and he's executing on his plan.
Sometimes life forces you to grow up quickly, and that's exactly what happened to Dash. He lost his 16-year-old brother Callum after a five year battle with cancer. And out of that tragedy, dash started a unique corporate outreach campaign on LinkedIn making inspiring and grateful videos about companies that touched his family's life while Callum was in treatment.
Dash joins us to discuss the inspirations behind the campaign and the incredible responses he's received from both individuals and companies.
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Back in February, we were joined on the show by Stuart Haselden, CEO of outdoor apparel company, Arc'Teryx. Hearing about his retail philosophy and personal story was absolutely fascinating, so we decided to revisit the episode for listeners who may have missed it the first time around.
You’ve heard it before: "The customer is always right." For many businesses, that’s sound advice. But for premium brands, the road to success often takes a different route. Rather than reacting to every shift in demand, it’s about staying rooted in a philosophy: delivering quality, staying authentic, and fostering relationships that stand the test of time. Today’s guest has fully embraced this approach, leveraging his brand’s strengths to set a new standard of excellence in the technical apparel market.
Stuart Haselden has been the CEO of Arc'teryx since 2021 and brings over 20 years of global experience in retail and premium brands to the company, having worked in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia for brands such as Away Travel, Lululemon, J.Crew, and Saks Fifth Avenue.
His career began in the United States Army where he served as a Cavalry Officer—a defining experience for him that has shaped his views on leadership. It was also the beginning of a lifelong love of mountain and alpine sports, as Stuart learned to ski in the Austrian Alps while stationed in Germany.
In this episode, Stuart shares how Arc'teryx has expanded its direct-to-consumer model while preserving the brand’s authenticity. He explains how a relentless focus on performance and innovation has fueled the company’s growth and set it apart in the competitive technical apparel space. Stuart also talks about the leadership strategies that have guided Arc'teryx’s evolution—and how they’re shaping its future.
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Stuart Haselden on LinkedIn
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Given the new administration's tariff policy and the global unease we've seen in recent months, we felt it was a good time to pick the brain of someone who's spent decades studying China's economy and its evolving relationship with the United States.
Andy Rothman is the founder and CEO of Sinology, a consulting firm that provides advice to institutional investors and companies on the opportunities and risks presented by China's economy and on the impact of changes in US China relations.
Previously, Andy spent 11 years working as China strategist for Matthews Asia, one of the largest active US based investors in China's equity markets. That comes after a 17-year China-focused career as US foreign service officer that included serving as the Taiwan desk officer at the State Department in the mid-nineties, and serving as head of the Macroeconomics and Domestic Policy Office at the American Embassy in Beijing.
Andy shares his thoughts on the current trade dispute and the economic situation within China, and discusses what he's heard from Chinese business people and political officials during recent visits to the country.
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When you stop to fill up your car with gas, you might also pop into the store to grab a quick bite, or a gatorade, or that carton of milk you forgot to get at the supermarket. One company has managed to leverage that common retail experience into a real-estate empire.
Chris Constant is the president and Chief Executive Officer of Getty Realty Corp, which trades under the symbol GTY on the New York Stock Exchange. Chris joined the company in November of 2010 as Director of Planning and Corporate Development, and was later promoted to treasurer in May of 2012, Vice President in May of 2013, CFO also in 2013 and CEO in 2016.
Today, Chris walks us through the surprising origins of Getty Realty, discusses developments in the convenience store and automotive sectors, and explains why Getty has found such incredible success working with those industries.
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When you're shopping for clothes, there's a checklist of things you look for: you want them to look and feel good, you want them to last a long time, you might want them ethically and sustainably sourced, and probably most importantly, you don't want them to break the bank. In 2011 one active wear company emerged that ticked pretty much all those boxes.
Adam Goldenberg is the CEO and co-founder of Fabletics. Adam is a seasoned entrepreneur and leader in the e-commerce industry with a proven track record of building multiple-billion dollar brands. In fact, alongside co-founder Don Ressler, Adam has generated over $10 billion dollars in sales through his company, TechStyle Fashion Group, which in addition to Fabletics, has launched other digitally-native fashion brands like Savage X Fenty, Just Fab, Fab Kids, Shoedazzle and Yitti.
Adam launched his first company at 16, at 19 he became the youngest ever COO of a public company. He joins us to share his thoughts on e-commerce, customer retention, sustainability, and opportunities to grow the Fabletics brand.
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The world has changed a lot in the last century, but it might surprise you to learn that the US power grid has remained pretty much the same. In this country, energy is by and large controlled by regional utilities with de-facto monopolies, and no real incentive to innovate. That inertia impacts the entire economy, as industrial projects are starved of the power they need to get off the ground.
Jereme Kent is the founder and CEO of One Power Company. Under his leadership, One Power is trailblazing the creation of the customer-centric power grid of the future. Before founding One Power in 2009, Jereme led the construction of some of the world's premier wind projects. As a field engineer, erection superintendent and site manager, he has overseen more than a billion dollars in wind turbine construction.
Jereme joins us to discuss how and why current US power infrastructure is falling short, and how the One Power model could both energize and decarbonize America's efforts to re-industrialize.
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Summary:
We may not talk about them the same way we talk about basketball or baseball players, but make no mistake, dancers are elite athletes. Their training is intense, and the competition is fierce. And with Breakdancing at the Olympics, dance content flooding TikTok, and dance competition shows all over TV, there's never been more interest in the art-form. So how do you take that global phenomenon, and harness it into a global business?
Dan Galpern is the CEO of DanceOne. In 2023, the company was formed out of the merger between Break The Floor Productions and Star Dance Alliance, and it has become the premier producer of educational and competitive dance events, as well as the largest family of dance brands in the world.
Dan joins us to discuss DanceOne's plans for future expansion and growth, and how their global community is raising up the next generation of world-class dancers.
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The increasing popularity of Asian food presents many exciting business opportunities, but also some challenges. Many of these specialty restaurants are family-owned, and lack the corporate structure you'll find at larger chains. And a lot of them are located in rural places that make centralized distribution difficult. Servicing these types of businesses requires a personal touch, and a lot of relationship building to understand their individual needs. That makes the barrier to entry pretty high, and creates a pretty large moat around the companies already established in the sector.
That includes HF Foods Group, led by CEO Felix Lin. HF trades on NASDAQ under the symbol HFFG and they are a leading distributor of international and specialty foods service solutions to restaurants, wholesalers and other customers in the food supply chain in the United States. Before taking on the role of CEO, Felix served as President and Chief Operating Officer of HF Foods Group and has been a key part of developing, implementing, and executing on the company's comprehensive transformation plan.
Felix joins us to discuss how HF Foods Group made such strong inroads in the Asian food market, and how they plan to leverage their position in the marketplace, and smart capital allocation, to create opportunities for future growth.
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Innovating in the field of Med Tech presents a host of unique challenges. Formulating new treatments is a long and capital-intensive process. The regulatory regime for medical devices is extremely stringent. And even if you get approval, you still need to convince doctors that your treatment is safe and effective. But success in Med Tech R & D doesn't just mean profits for the company and it's shareholders, it means new treatments that can dramatically improve or even save the lives of patients.
Jim Clemmer became the CEO of AngioDynamics in April of 2016, the company trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol ANGO. Prior to joining the company, Jim served as President of the multi-billion dollar medical supply segment at Covidien PLC where he directed the strategic and day-to-day operations for global business divisions that collectively manufactured 23 different product categories. In addition, he managed global manufacturing, research and development, operations, business development, and all other functions associated with the medical supplies business.
Jim joins us to discuss AngioDynamics' innovative products that are helping treat a range of conditions from pulmonary embolism to prostate cancer. He also explains how their continued commitment to innovation has set AngioDynamics up for future success.
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When we experience buyers remorse about an item, what do we do? We return it. Either in store, or through the mail. But what happens to those products after we send them back? Surely they're repackaged and restocked, right? In a lot of cases, no. Many vendors aren't equipped to process those returns, and they can end up being sold in bulk at a loss, or worse, dumped in a landfill.
Sender Shamiss has made it his mission to prevent that from happening. He's the co-founder and CEO of ReturnPro, a global reverse logistics platform that works with the world's largest retailers and vendors to solve the significant problem of merchandise returns.
Today, we discuss the complexity of restocking returned items, the prevalence of fraud in merchandise returns, and how ReturnPro leverages innovative tech solutions to lessen that nearly 900-billion-dollar burden on the retail industry.
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Major sporting events used to be clustered among a handful of TV channels. Now following your favourite team might require subscriptions to a whole litany of cable and streaming services. Which is to say nothing of all the licensed content you'll find spread out across social media platforms. In such a complex media ecosystem, how do organizations even begin to think about licensing their media assets? And how do they calculate their worth?
Doug Perlman is the founder and CEO of Sports Media Advisors. SMA advises sports properties on their media strategies and rights negotiations. Doug has negotiated tens of billions of dollars in rights fees for some of the largest sports properties in the world, including the NFL, NASCAR, US Soccer, and the Ryder Cup, among others.
Doug joins us today to discuss recent trends like the rise of streaming, the popularization of sports betting, and the emergence of AI, and all the unique challenges and opportunities they present for different leagues and organizations.
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